[kashaCode]

Example
Let's say the guide for a live channel looks like:

Code:


10:30 Programme A
11:00 Programme B
12:00 Programme C


Current Behaviour
If select Programme A from the pop-up guide, the programme is played in the video player and the player quits after 30 mins as it reached the end of the programme.

Desired Behaviour
After programme A is finished, Programme B should start playing.

This could be implemented as a user setting (eg: a checkbox for "Continue playing next programme when finished" under Catchup settings). But IMO this should be the default behavior. The user will stop watching whenever he wants. But if he doesn't stop watching it means he wants to keep watching, so the addon should add the next programme to the playlist so that the player doesn't close. The assumption that only the selected programme must be played is undesirable.

What I've tried
With the following M3U playlist entry

Code:


#EXTINF:0 catchup="vod" catchup-source="plugin://plugin.video.xyz/?channel_id=123&showtime={H}{M}{S}&srno={Y}{m}{d}&programId={catchup-id}" catchup-days="7",Channel Name plugin://plugin.video.xyz/?channel_id=123


I've tried enabling and disabling the option "Play from EPG as live TV (...)". I've also tried the same after changing the catchup parameter to catchup="default". But in all cases it doesn't do what I want. So a separate option would be needed.

[kashaCode]

Sorry I forgot to add a title to this thread.

[kashaCode]

I had another idea. The checkbox option above would apply to all cases. That should be one option. But a second option could also be added for the following.

Using the example in the OP: Let's say in general someone wants to only watch that particular programme that they click on in the guide (i.e. only play Programme A and then close). But in some cases they want watch all programmes from Programme A onwards (i.e. play Programme A, then Programme B, C etc. till stopped). For this purpose, a second option is to provide a context menu entry in the guide such as "Play from here" that plays all programmes in the guide after the selected programme. A third option would be an option such as "Queue Item" that allows the person to add Programmes A and C to the queue, but not Programme B.

I've added a screenshot of another addon to give a visual depiction of what I am talking about.

[phunkyfish]

This feature has been requested previously. It would be useful in many addons that play programmes from EPG.

Kodi PVR itself would need to change for this to be possible.

It is possible to make this work as you want today but only for catchup streams where you play TV as live. But your provider need to support it

[emveepee]

Could you not just use auto play reminders for this?

[kashaCode]

@phunkyfish I see. Thanks for letting me know.

@emveepee Not sure what you mean. I looked up reminders. It seems you can add start and end times. However, I believe that plays using the live URL, not the catchup URL?

[emveepee]

You are right I was thinking linear TV which is how a guide is really designed.  Not sure if this is really PVR core though, since catchup is not typically only available to pay services so definitely pvr.iptvsimple specific.

[kashaCode]

@phunkyfish I created a github feature request: https://github.com/xbmc/xbmc/issues/24343

[kashaCode]

Oops, that's a bug only tracker on Github. Ticket closed. I guess I'll add my other idea here.

Feature request 2
In addition, currently it seems catchup items are played in a separate window from live channels, so the user can't really open the dialog boxes for channels, guide or flip channels with the keyboard. view info with `i` key etc. Ideally, this user interaction would be retained even in catchup mode, so there would be no way to tell whether they were playing catchup TV or live TV, except for some kind of colour indicator to tell the user whether TV is live or catchup.

Possibly would look like this: Instead of playing catchup items in a new window, ability to change video source in the same window. So use live URL for live playback, but catchup URL for seeking function, with common buffer. Say user switches to channel at time t, but wants to step backwards to time t - 10 mins, he could just use the seek bar to do so (seek bar would indicate both date and time I guess).

[phunkyfish]

Continuous playback, similar to that often with videos has now been added: https://github.com/xbmc/xbmc/pull/24528.

This is available in Kodi Omega builds.

Note that this is does not allow navigation through the guide. It simple play the next programme after the current programme is finished.

[ksooo]

Well, you can travel forward through the guide. Just hit „right“ while playing until end of current programme is reached. Next programme will start automatically then. What not works is traveling back to previous programmes. This is also not possible with normal video playlists, btw.

[emveepee]

Well, you can travel forward through the guide. Just hit „right“ while playing until end of current programme is reached. Next programme will start automatically then. What not works is traveling back to previous programmes. This is also not possible with normal video playlists, btw.

Since the OP wants catchup TV does the next program also start as catchup or live?

Martin

[ksooo]

To my understanding it does exactly what OP wants.